St Andrew Updates Stock and Nixon Fork Advanced Exploration Projects and Other Exploration Programs
Posted on: Monday, 12 December 2005, 09:00 CST
St Andrew Goldfields Ltd. (TSX:SAS) ("St Andrew") is pleased to provide an update of activities at its Stock Gold Complex, Timmins, Ontario, and its Nixon Fork, Alaska and Eskay Creek, British Columbia properties.
Stock Gold Complex
The Clavos Advanced Exploration Program at the Stock Gold Complex is expected to be completed at the end of the fourth quarter of 2005 and the level of the understanding, delineation and evaluation of the Clavos mineralization are such that management believes that the requisite planning and layouts designed to achieve sustainable production can be made to accommodate the structure and nature of the delineated Clavos mineralization.
To date approximately 20,000 tonnes of underground rock have been treated through the Stock Gold Mill, recovering approximately 5,000 ounces of gold.
A total of over 35,000 metres of underground diamond drilling have been carried out to define the deposit and to delineate additional resource ounces.
Underground development of over 3,750 metres has been carried out on the 100 metre, 150 metre, 175 metre, 200 metre, 225 metre and 250 metre levels to confirm the continuity and structure of the Clavos mineralization.
The Clavos Decline has been extended a further 275 metres on the incline to a depth of approximately 315 metres below surface. Additional horizontal development has been carried out on the 175 metre, 225 metre and 250 metre levels to provide underground drill access to further delineate the Clavos mineralization at lower elevations.
The 10 kilometre haul road from the Clavos mine to the Stock Gold mill has been completed and is now in daily use to haul rock from Clavos. The overhead power line from the Stock Mine to Clavos is complete and the necessary underground reticulation is in place to support the anticipated production levels.
Stock Gold Mill
Satisfactory metallurgical recoveries have been achieved from the underground rock from the Clavos Project (20,000 tonnes). Throughput rates have been in line with designed capacities of 75 tonnes per hour.
Taylor Advanced Exploration Project
The excavation of the box cut for the Taylor Decline and the establishment of the surface infrastructure at the Taylor Advanced Exploration Project have commenced. The decline excavation is planned to commence in the first quarter 2006.
Timmins Exploration Program
Planning is being finalized for a major winter 2006 exploration surface program to test at least 15 targets with over 20,000 metres of surface drilling. During the Spring and Summer of 2005 Geoinformatics Exploration Inc. and St Andrew completed a major upgrade of the St Andrew Timmins 3D geological databases and models, including the integration and input of major data sets collected by the Discover Abitibi Project. These data sets included airborne gravity and magnetics covering the St Andrew exploration areas. A total of 51 exploration targets were delineated and 15 priority targets were chosen for drill testing.
Nixon Fork Mine
In late October, 2005 the Nixon Fork Plan of Operations, Environmental Assessment and draft Solid Waste Disposal Permits, the key permits required for commercial production, were posted for public comment by the State of Alaska and Bureau of Land Management. This public comment period ran for 30 days. St Andrew understands that the regulators are currently evaluating the comments received, resolving any issues raised and finalizing the permit documents. St Andrew anticipates that the regulators will issue in the near future the necessary permits for Nixon Fork to commence operations.
Subject to the receipt of these permits, it is anticipated that Nixon Fork will commence operations in the mid-2006.
During the Summer 2005 Exploration Program several new exploration areas were explored with interesting intersections that will require follow-up in future programs.
An underground winter 2006 diamond drilling program is planned at the Mystery Creek deposit. This program is intended to delineate and confirm additional ore zones that will provide feed for the Nixon Fork operations.
Eskay Creek
A total of 8 targets were tested with 11 diamond drill holes for a total of 2,096 metres of diamond drilling.
Two targets, namely Polo and Harrymel Creek, returned positive evidence of new mineralization within the St Andrew Eskay Creek land position. The Polo target indicated potential massive sulphides (same as the Eskay Creek Mine) and the Harrymel Creek target indicated a copper-zinc-silver skarn.
A follow-up exploration program is planned for next summer 2006.
2005 Eskay Drill Program Drill Hole Coordinates ----------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------- Owner Hole Target Depth UTM UTM Az. Dip (m) East North -------------------------------------------------------------------- Heritage TN-05-01 Tarn North 275.6 414881 6272993 100 -50 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Heritage TV-05-34 TV 197.7 409450 6265671 180 -50 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Heritage- Teuton BW-05-01 Bonsai West 235.6 403730 6276277 121 -57 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Heritage KN-05-01 King North 192.6 403265 6274645 90 -75 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Heritage HC-05-01 Harrymel Creek 191.7 403625 6267990 290 -59 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Heritage PO-05-01 Polo 236.5 409547 6271491 250 -70 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Heritage AF05-01 Aftom 182.9 412437 6276231 78.5 -68 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Heritage PO-05-02 Polo 168.7 409539 6271492 118 -54 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Heritage- Teuton BW05-02 Bonsai West 152.4 403665 6276144 119 -59 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Heritage- Teuton BZ05-01 Bonsai 151.5 404895 6276482 224 -49 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Heritage- Teuton BZ05-02 Bonsai 111.1 404895 6276482 224 -80 --------------------------------------------------------------------
Highlights
Polo Target
Two drill holes tested the Polo target on the east side of the McKay anticline, beneath the Bowser basin cover rocks. The first drill hole, PO-05-01, was drilled to the southwest to a depth of 236.53 metres. The drill hole intersected Bowser sediments to a depth of 47 metres, and intercalated pyritic mudstone and amygdaloidal basalt to 144 metres. Strong pyrite stringer and disseminated mineralization hosted by Salmon River basalt was found at the hole bottom. Massive pyrite was intersected from 164.70 metres to 167 metres.
Although no gold values were intersected, the drill hole demonstrates that massive sulphide exhalite mineralization is found within this Polo target. The lowest part of the mudstone above is anomalous in mercury.
A second drill hole, PO-05-02, was collared from the same setup and drilled to 168.70 metres in an east orientation. The hole intersected mudstone to 45 metres and encountered mafic flows with disseminated pyrite to 58 metres. The remainder of the hole intersected sheared mudstone and mafic rocks.
Harrymel Creek
Base metal and silver returns were obtained from a drill hole (HC-05-01) west of Harrymel Creek. Results are as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------- BHID From To Width Cu Pb Zn Ag Au (m) (m) (m) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) (ppb) ------------------------------------------------------------------- HC-05-01 47 48 1 294 1945 2205 15.4 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------- HC-05-01 54 56 2 54 32 173 11.9 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------- HC-05-01 118 121 3 541 629 1220 1.9 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------- HC-05-01 132 135 3 1307 6 135 1.2 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------
The silver, lead and zinc anomalous intercepts from 47- 48 metres and from 54 - 56 metres are hosted by graphitic argillite. Base metal anomalous mineralization in HC-05-01 from 118 - 121 metres and from 132 - 135 metres is in a chlorite- diopside skarn with 5-10% pyrrhotite.
The drill hole indicates that skarn mineralization is a possible target west of Harrymel Creek.
A limited surface sampling program was completed to check geophysical anomaly locations and to assess conceptual targets west of the SIBS zone. A sericite altered structure 30-40 metres wide was found approximately 600 metres south west of the SIBS area.
A grab sample taken on a magnetic high approximately 1.3 km northwest of the Harrymel hole had copper values of 6940 ppm, silver of 5ppm and gold of 112 ppb.
Teuton Bonsai Joint Venture
Four holes in the program were completed on the Teuton Bonsai JV ground totaling 650.6 metres. The drilling tested the Bonsai West geophysical anomaly with two holes, and the Bonsai prospect with two holes. None of the holes intersected significant gold mineralization.
Qualified Persons
St Andrew's Timmins exploration programs are being carried out under the supervision of St Andrew's Timmins Exploration Manager, Mr. Wayne Reid, P.Geo. Mr. Reid is a qualified person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101) with more than 30 years of experience in the mining industry.
The Heritage exploration programs are being carried out under the supervision of Mr. Gerry Bidwell, P.Geol. and Mr. Warren Bates, P.Geo. Messrs. Bidwell and Bates are both qualified persons (as defined by National Instrument 43-101).
The Nixon Fork exploration programs are being carried out under the supervision of St Andrew's Alaska Exploration Manager, Mr. William Burnett. Mr. Burnett meets the qualified person requirements (as defined by National Instrument 43-101) with more than 10 years of experience in the mining industry.
Shares Outstanding - 618 million.
St Andrew Goldfields Ltd. (TSX:SAS)
Source: Business Wire
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